My Hero?
by Tasha999
Summary: Kushina is faced with the problem of a new sensei, annoying team mates, and creeepy villagers. Will her past come to haunt her once again?
1. My Hero

**My Hero?**

Kushina rubbed her finger along the dirt of the forest floor. The rest of her team was asleep but she had an eerie feeling that wouldn't leave her. Her sensei wasn't here, her team mates worn out. She clenched her paw tightly digging her claws into the ground. She was sick to the stomach with this feeling and only wished for it to stop. She looked at Tonko and Kyoti sleeping in their cots obviously tired. They had been training before they were called for a mission.

"I apologies Team Tonko but your sensei is still in the hospital from her last mission. So I am assigning Team Uki's Sensei, Raion-san." The Hokage said leaning back in her chair and fixing her hat. The Black lion leaning against the wall with his arms crossed looked up at the three. He gave a subtle wave before returning to look out the window at the birds that flew by. Obviously not interested in the three genin "But Hokage-sama!" Kushina objected as she slammed her paws down on the Hokage's desk.

The Hokage sat still as a rock, she looked up at the young genin who insulted her. She tipped her hat up revealing her amber yellow eyes framed by her smooth ebony fur. "The Village of Roots is a good friend to Konoha and so I expect you four to be on your best behaviour." She commented leaning her arms on her chair and putting her paws together. Kushina curled her lip, she wanted her sense.! Kyoti put his hands up in a surrendering motion, "Take it easy." He said to Kushina not liking the mood in the room. She turned her head and looked at the team staring at her. The rage in her stomach only boiled more as they all accepted the change.

Kushina sighed and let her back fall against a tree. Too tired to explore, to awake to sleep, she could only close her eyes and listen to the quiet forest. Raion-sensei was patrolling the area so she had the camp to herself. The crackling of the fire seemed to clam her nerves but the eerie feeling never went away. She unclipped her weapons pack and pulled a kunai out. Holding it in her paw tightly as she stood up, glancing at the camp one more time before jumping into the trees above. She needed some alone time. Her paws sweated as she traveled through the foliage, she was waiting for Raion-sensei to catch her.

She found the thickest part of the forest, a small stream tangling itself around the trees massive roots, straining every impurity out of the water, leaving it crystal clear. The camp was far back, Raion-sensei was nowhere to be found and even the forest creatures were quiet. The silence was more unnerving then before. She looked behind her several times, sure that somebody was behind her, sure that she was being watched. She knew as a ninja her gut feeling was everything, but she couldn't help but feel she was paranoid. This part of the forest was still in Konoha and the rival nations barley attacked. She sat down on the stream bank letting her paws touch the icy water. She sunk them into the cold water letting it just reach past her ankles, the burning sensation soon being numbed away.

The kunai still in her paw, she held it loosely over the water. The bandages had been taken off her left arm before she steadied both her arms on her knees and held her left paw up. She looked between the blade and her paw pad, debating what she would do, struggling to follow the right path. She had scars covering her paws but they were not from self infliction, her past was more damaging then most knew.

She couldn't help but feel as though it was her fault she had earned them. She lightly started to graze the kunai across her paw, barley making a scratch against the rough pad. With hesitation she pushed the kunai deeper and cut the end of her paw, flinching at the wave of pain she felt flow through her body. Everything told her to stop, every bone in her body aching to throw the damaging item away. The fear grasped her heart, choking out all reflexes.

She tried to stop, her arms shaking heavily as if she was fighting someone else. Kushina struggled with the thoughts swirling in her mind, she wasn't paying attention as She put the Kunai to the other side of her paw ready to drag the metal across her skin yet again.

Her heart stopped as something grabbed her arm. She was too terrified to look up, shaken with fear. A single drop of blood from her paw slowly dripped into the trickling water, tainting the stream. She pushed herself to turn her neck to see, her spine feeling stiff and skin numb. Raion-sensei gripped her arm pulling the kunai away from her paw.

"What are you doing?" He asked, grabbing the kunai with his other paw and pulling it away from her. She watched as his eyes scanned her paw, noticing all the scars, she could feel him judging her where she stood. Tears streaming down her face as she looked into the soul piercing emerald eyes of the lion. She tried to pull her arm free and run but he held onto it tightly. "Go back to camp." He said releasing her arm. She jerked her limb back and stood up quickly, water dripping from her legs onto the grassy ground.

Kushina took a step back as Raion-sensei stood up, holding the kunai tightly in his paw. Raion-sensei slid beside her and grabbed her weapons pack off her belt, slipping the kunai inside before holding it slightly away from her. "Wrap your paw." He noted as the smell of blood stung his sense of smell. With her weapon pack still in hand he looked at her one last time before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Kushina stood still, shaken from his sudden arrival. She slowly looked down at her paw, the cut now stinging as if a thousand bugs were upon it. She slowly grabbed some bandages from her pocket, her paws shaking badly as she felt she was about to cry. Every movement seemed to be slower than the last, wrapping her paw had become a journey to her as she strived to tie it tightly while she was shaking so badly.

She prayed her team mates wouldn't smell the blood, the small cut stopping bleeding but the pain was everlasting. She turned to the forest ready to head back when she remembered Raion-sensei. She knew he could still be watching her and she felt as though she was naked to the world. Her true secret exposed for all to know.

The travel to the camp was slow and painful, she wanted to cry herself asleep, to just let her emotions go. A ninja must never show emotion, the one lessons was pounded into their heads as academy students. Kushina never really took it to heart, never realizing how hard it truly was.

As Kushina walked into the camp and slid into her already set-up cot she stilled her movements, making sure not to bother the others. When not a sound was heard she turned onto her stomach and made herself comfy. She was the closest one to the fire but didn't mind the heat. She looked over at her sleeping team mates, Tonko was silent, his breathing almost silent. Kushina couldn't help but roll her eyes as Kyoti's loud snoring interrupted the peaceful crackling of the fire. She rubbed the bandages around her paw, feeling them tug against her cut. Should she be truthful to her team mates, they had known each other for so long, but would telling them cause more grief?

Kushina watched the fire for nearly an hour, almost blinded by it as she was deep in thought. There were few people who knew her secret, and almost all of them blamed her. The thought of her sensei, with the kind smile across her face, even with her dull grey fur she shined brightly in Kushina's darkness. Would her team accept her secret like her sensei did?

Kushina closed her eyes as two tears streamed down her fur, pulling the blanket over her shoulders and curling up under the warm fabric. Any moment Raion-sensei would wake up Tonko for the third watch so he could sleep peacefully. She was grateful he had set up his cot beside Kyoti and Tonko instead of her.

The morning arrived quickly, the fire burnt out leaving a small trail of smoke, the sun greeting them warmly but none of them wanted to see it. She awoke to Raion wrapping up his cot and calling out their names. She wanted to turn over and fall back asleep, just for a few more hours. She groaned as she pushed herself up, leaning over to her side, she quickly moved back as she felt her weapons pack clipped to her belt. It was as if the events of last night never happened. Had it been a dream? She checked her paw and didn't feel the bandages tugging against the cut.

As she packed up her supplies she thought about what happened last night, the pain was so real, it couldn't have been a dream. She looked over at Raion-sensei compulsively, waiting for him to look at her, to show that face of disgust she knew quite well. She waited in agony, waiting for him to spill her secret, to hint towards her problem. She knew Tonko was smart enough to figure it out.

It made her sick to her stomach, the emotionless look on his face as though nothing happened. She balled her fists, struggling not to pound against his chest, to drive a crystal into his paw, she wanted him to know how hurt she felt. She released her fist with a sigh as she slung her pack onto her back. She wanted somebody to help.

They traveled through the tree tops, bouncing off the branches and leaving no tracks. The stinging smell of bitter root cloaked the air. Kushina covered her nose, she had the best sense of smell between the four and it was driving her nuts. Tonko sighed, the strong smell gave him a bad head ache. Though the consistent babbling Kyoti made about bombs and traps was just as bad.

Kushina scoffed as she began to become accustom to the smell. She still watched Raion-sensei, avoiding his piercing gaze back. She wanted ever so badly to show her anger, she couldn't control her thoughts, she dreamt she could bring him back to the time. Let him feel her pain, make him regret trying to help.

They came to a stop at a dusty village, it seemed lifeless, even with the streets filled with souls. Children played with each other, adults working at their shops. Farmers carried large baskets filled to the brim with red roots. Their eyes seem to be lifeless; every villager had the same soulless blue color.

Kushina felt chills down her spine, the look from the villagers sent her mind into a paranoid frenzy. She pushed herself closer to Tonko, walking just inches behind him. Her eyes darted to every presence around them, she didn't feel safe walking through the village. "This is an ally village to Konoha, stop acting stupid." Tonko growled at his lack of space. Kushina shot him a dirty look with a light growl, but she didn't move from her spot, despite Tonko's attempts.

They came to an inn and rented a room, the Hokage promised they could get an inn with a hot spring as compensation for the sudden notice. It truly wasn't a big deal, but the team was grateful. They were excited to rest in the hot water, to sooth their muscles after the exhausting trip.

Kushina walked into the female side of the hot spring alone. It was late at night and most of the travelers had gone to bed. She could hear Kyoti still gushing over the new supplies behind the tall wooden divider. She couldn't help but smile, he was so determined to make better working traps and bombs she felt as though he would run to get supplies right there. She giggled to herself as she imagined him running through town with just a towel and his goggles on.

She un-wrapped her towel and slipped into the spring, melting as the hot water gently burning her skin, sending a soothing feeling as it coated her fur and worked her aching muscles. She leaned her head against the cool rocks lining the spring, and let out a sigh. It was boring being alone, she wanted to sit with her team in a mixed bath, to watch Kyoti bother Tonko and to see him groan in agony. It was boring behind alone.

The heat made her head swirl, the rock serving as a pillow dug into her neck. She put up with the pain and dizziness, she could ignore it when she felt the knots in her legs and back unwind. Both sides fell quiet as time passed by, the team got tired quickly and it took Raion-sensei to get them out. He called over the wall to Kushina saying how they are going back to the room now before battling with Tonko who wanted to stay.

They all entered the room together, heavy grey kimonos draped over them. Kushina had kept her bandages on, now causing her to be itchy yet not able to scratch. The team had a large quiet feast in their room. Everybody focused on their bowls, Kyoti making a bowl of rice with a large ball to roll around in it. When they all finished and put their bowls and plates on the table, sitting in the awkward silence that weighed down the room.

"I think we should turn in, we got a big day tomorrow." Raion-sensei said standing up as he ran a paw through his thick mane. The team was too tired to argue so they got their cots from the closet and rolled them out on the floor. Kushina stalled with her cot till everybody had laid their down. She was begging for a place closer to the bathroom or exit, away from the others.

As she laid her cot closer to the bathroom Raion-sensei appeared beside her and laid his cot down. The others looked at them but Raion-sensei played it off well. "I don't think supper agreed with me, so just in case." Kushina growled, she knew he was lying but neither Tonko nor Kyoti would call out his bluff. She climbed into her cot and got comfy, her back to him as she curled up in her soft cot.

The lights turned out and shadows engulfed the room, leaving Kushina the last one awake, staring at the black roof. Her mind was running in circles, consistently going back to that night he caught her. The wet bandages on her paws were drying and pulled at her fur. She felt nostalgic as she thought about unwrapping them and remember the pain the scars caused. The feeling she had when Raion-sensei stopped her made her stomach do flips. She was confused at what she should have been feeling and cursed him for confusing her.

She shivered in her bed, forcing herself not to cry. She spun onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. The feeling of her secret being known and no strength to hide it, she felt weak. She balled her fists under her pillow and stayed as silent as she could, rage boiling inside her. She felt as though she would break at any moment.

Daylight chased away the shadows but brought agony to Kushina's eyes. She was still lying on her stomach watching the walls. No birds chirped to welcome the morning sun, but Kushina couldn't be bothered to notice. She was becoming bored, now that the team would soon wake up she needed to be chipper and happy. She cursed to herself as the minutes dragged long, she wanted them to wake up.

Her stomach grumbled, she had not eaten much for supper and it was betraying her. Raion-sensei stirred in his cot, obviously sensitive to the small noise. She turned her back to him and brought her paws to her face, burying into the soft bandages and fur. She silently wished to herself that Raquel-sensei was here. Though she didn't doubt in Raion-sensei, she didn't feel comfortable around him.

Kushina looked up at Tonko and Kyoti, the only males she felt comfortable being around. She trusted them with her life, they were better brothers to her then her own blood. Her paws started to shake badly as the memories returned, the memories played in her head like she was re-living them, the reason she was afraid of men. Would she ever be able to trust one again?

Raion-sensei rolled in his cot, finally coming to when some light came through the window and danced on his eyes. He didn't realize how quiet he was as he pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. He turned to look at his team and found Kushina shaking in her cot. He assumed she was cold, the window was open and her blanket was barley on her. He leaned over and tapped her shoulder, only to quickly retract as she jumped.

A gasp before a thump, as she fell out of her cot, struggling to turn around. She panted heavily as she stared at him, all signs showing fear. Slightly taken aback by the scene he recovered quickly and pushed the rest of the blanket off himself before standing up. "Wake the other two will ya?" He said as he stretched out his arms. "Yes sensei." She replied, tripping over her own tongue. She pushed off the tangled covers and stood to her shaking legs.

She took a deep breath and let herself recover before walking over to the boys. "Tonko-kun! Kyoti-kun!" She called, delivering a kick to both of their sides. The two boys groaned and rolled over in their cots. Tonko pulling the pillow over his long ears and Kyoti cocooning himself in his blanket. Kushina sighed to herself as she began to form hand seals. A small pillar of crystal rose from the ground, its purple hue covering the floor as the light hit its base. Two crystals appeared on the sides, shooting out towards the two boys, stabbing them both in the rear.

The team walked down the main town road, but Tonko and Kyoti still rubbing their rears. Shooting daggers at their team mate who caused the pain. "Should've gotten up." She growled as she put her hands behind her head and walked in between them. As they traveled through the town a weird smell came across their noses, they turned to look at Raion-sensei who was innocently having a smoke. "Hm?" he questioned as he saw the look on their faces. "We still have some ways to go, mine as well." He said ignoring Tonko's small cough.

As Raion-sensei enjoyed his smoke Kyoti sight caught a hold of something. His eyes glazing over like doughnuts in his excitement. A local stall was selling Cajun Bombs, stronger then pepper bombs, worked as a scent blocker and doubled as a tear gas, but also three times the price.

He ditched the team and ran over to the stall finding some for cheap. Kushina walked over and joined him at the stall noticing him eyeing the bombs on sale. "Uh, Kyoti..." She was cut off by him as he grabbed his cartoon bomb shaped wallet and dumped the change on the counter. "I'll take them all!" He said grabbing the box of bombs.

Kyoti walked with his head low and shoulders slumped. In his hand a small plastic bag containing three Cajun bombs. Kushina couldn't help but feel sorry for him and tried to cheer him up. All attempts proved worthless as he ignored what she said. Tonko groaned, his eagerness made the Konoha ninjas look like fools.

"We are almost at the feudal lord's, straighten up." Raion-sensei barked as he flicked his small cigarette to the ground. Kyoti sighed and stuffed the bag of bombs in his weapons pack and stood straight. Kushina wiped the worried look off her face and Tonko put his hands in his pockets. "It's just a title." He scoffed.

The three stood in a line behind Raion-sensei as a large racoon sat on a platform above them, stroking his chin as he stared at them. "So you are the ninjas Konoha sent eeehh?" He questions as a slim vixen brought him a golden platter filled with Mizu-Yokan and Kuzumochi, both topped with anko sauce. "Yes Sir." Raion-sensei replied as he stood with his paw in his pocket. "Huuuuh, why would Hokage-sama send such insolent ninjaaas?" He whined as he picked a Kuzumochi off the plate and stuffed it in his mouth.

Kushina growled, balling her fists but Raion-sensei put his paw out telling her to stop. "Konoha believes greatly in its ninjas, Hokage-sama handpicked the ninjas for this missions." Raion-sensei said retracting his paw and returning it to his pocket. "Is that sooooo?" the feudal lord questions shoving the last of the Yokan in his mouth.

"Insolent ninjas my ass, I'll teach him who's insolent!" Kushina cursed, stomping behind the small caravan. Two of the villagers trailed in front of her, dragging their feet as they carried large baskets of roots on their back. Tonko stayed quiet as he walked to the side of the small caravan, ears pinned. Kyoti walked on the other side, fiddling with one of the bombs he got. He carefully cut a small incision on it's side before it exploded, coating his body and clothes in Cajun pepper.

He yelped in pain, shitting his eyes and dropping the empty bomb shell. The team looked in his direction, Kushina sighing heavily in disappointment as it was just Kyoti playing with his bombs.

"Hold still." Kushina said as she sat him down on the path. She took a rag from her pouch and used her water canister to wet it before rubbing his eyes to take out the pepper. "Ouch! Ow ow ow ow!"He cried as it started to burn his eyes more and more. "That will teach you to buy faulty bombs." She grumbled flipping the cloth over and working on his eyes again.

The caravan stopped near some shade and everybody sat down for a rest. Kyoti had to strip off his shirt and pants leaving him in his red boxers, trying to get the pepper off his clothes. Kushina stuck by him trying to help, the villagers gave her the chills and Tonko wanted to be left alone. "Don't do that! You're gonna rip the shirt." She growled snatching it out of his hands.

Kyoti smirked and leaned back, obviously not learning a thing. Kushina curled her lip as she began cleaning his shirt, being much gentler yet still able to scrub the Cajun pepper out. Kyoti suddenly jumped up in pain as a large crystal protruded from the ground. He huffed and sat across from her trying to look interested while balancing slightly above the ground.

Tonko had climbed a single tree and hid in the shade of its branches, watching the caravan from above. He pulled a kunai out of his pack, whittling into the tree branch, the camp was quiet for once. Kushina was with Kyoti, Raion-sensei was smoking away from the camp, yet the villagers just sat down and stayed still. It bothered him that they did not speak a word.

He drove the kunai beside him, burying the metal blade into the tree's branch, it pissed him off that they stayed so emotionless, it wasn't as fun... He ripped the blade out of the wood, rage building up inside him as he tried to suppress the thoughts. He growled to himself, he didn't know why random thoughts like that popped into his head.

Kushina handed Kyoti's clothes back with a growl before making her way over to the shade of a tree. She hated being a girl sometimes; she wanted to be treated like a male. She knew males had no problems and treated each other like brothers, not slaves. She looked over at one of the younger villagers, sitting cross-legged beside her large basket of roots.

It bothered her that the young girl wasn't playing or exploring the camp site, she looked as if she was concentrating.

Kushina pushed herself up and walked over, sitting beside the girl greeting her with a smile, "Hi there." The girl seemed to notice her presence but was indifferent towards her. Keeping her face emotionless and still as a rock. Kushina gently touched her arm, only to be shocked by the girls reaction. She screamed and slapped away Kushina's hand, leaning back but keeping her face straight.

Kushina jumped back, unable to grasp the situation. She looked back at Kyoti for help but the cat was cutting in to another bomb. Tonko looked angry and she didn't think it was a good idea to bother him. She looked over and noticed Raion-sensei coming back from his smoke break, before she could ask him he called the team together.

They Returned to the road once again, their positions different from last time. The villagers towed their baskets like before, still emotionless as before. Kushina watched the girl she tried to greet, she didn't understand why she was angry with the small child. The expression on her face made her stomach do flips, bringing back that eerie feeling yet again. Breaking away from the child she noticed something was around, like it was watching them.

Her paw reached for her kunai cautiously, slipping it out of her holder and holding it close to her leg, tense, ready to pounce. The forest seemed to slowly choke out the light as they walked along the road. Little sunlight pierced the trees, the beams of sunlight throwing off her perception of the area.

Before she realized what happened, a large fire ball shot through the trees hitting her in the chest. Knocking her past Kyoti and onto the ground. She heaved, the breath knocked out of her and her skin tingling with the burning sensation. Kyoti and Tonko were beside her in an instant, their kunais held in front of their face and they looked for the attacker.

Raion-sensei spotted the rival ninjas through the thick foliage. He grabbed two kunais out of his pack and darted into the bush after them. The sound of a battle began as the clinking of metal and footsteps of the ninjas were the only things making a sound. The villagers stood unmoving, wondering why their guides had stopped.

Kyoti noticed a glare flashing through the trees, He spun around and deflected the needles thrown at them. Tonko glanced at Kushina and absorbed the situation. He quickly devised a plan and tried to locate the enemy. "Kyoti, grab Kushina and hide her." He said as they both noticed how bad the burns were. As the words left his mouth a badger charged them, barley dodging Tonko's kunai as he came close.

Kyoti grabbed a Cajun bomb out of his pack and threw it at the ground expecting some cover. He cursed as the bomb barley created a puff of smoke before flattening onto the ground. He caught himself from being distracted and grabbed Kushina, barley pulling her away from the fight.

Tonko got knocked back by the attacker wincing as he came to a stop several feet back. "Ninja art, Electromagnetic Murder!" He shouted as he formed seals and slammed his hand against the ground. A wave of electricity screamed as it swam through the ground chasing the ninja as he evaded the attack.

Kyoti slipped his arms under his team mate and jumped away from the battle scene and into the middle of the caravan. He laid her down gently beside the wagon, propping her against the wagon to examine her wounds. He didn't even think as he ripped her burnt jacket apart to examine the wounds. Kushina coughed as she felt her lungs burning for oxygen. While coming out of her daze she felt something moving her clothes and upon instinct delivered a kick to his chest.

Kyoti had the wind knocked out of him slightly as he regained his composure, "What the hell was that for!" he hissed as he crawled back beside her. "Shit that was Kyoti?" She cussed to herself as she pulled her jacket closed. "Let go, I have to treat your burns." He growled. "My wound is fine protect the villagers!" She barked as the charred fabric scratched her raw skin. She felt her chest was still on fire but as if a thousand ants were crawling on her chest.

"Ouch!" Kyoti growled as he put a hand to his chest. "What was that for!" He exclaimed crawling back over to her. "Shit, that was Kyoti?..." she cussed to herself as she pulled her jacket closed. "The Wound is fine, watch the villagers!" She exclaimed as the charred fabric scratched her raw skin, sending a wave of heat through her chest.

Kyoti huffed and stood up, quickly jumping away from the wagon to back up Tonko. He pulled a red scroll from his weapons pack, ripping the seal of the scroll and throwing it open. He bit his finger and ran it along the scroll as it unrolled. He grabbed the ending and looked at Tonko as a large line of metal needles were summoned onto the tightened scroll.

"Ninja art, Running Beast!" Tonko shouted as he formed the seals and watched as chakara mixed with the lightning formed on his paw. It seemed to take form of a fox as it growled and started to grow bigger. He held his arm out towards Kyoti and released the lightning. It jumped off his hand and bounced across the ground towards Kyoti . Two lightning tails swaying back and forth as it jumped onto Kyoti's scroll and instantly connected with the needles. The needles seemed to absorb the lightning, shaking as the beast grew smaller. They started shaking as sparks of electricity jumped off them.

The needles seem to shoot off the scroll like a bullet from a gun, aiming directly for the ninja, still sounding like a bear growling as sparks still bounced off. One of them being seemed to be faster than the rest. The ninja didn't think as he smiled and deflected the fastest one with his kunai, only to be shocked as the bolt traveled through the metal tool and burning his hand. Before he could react the barrage of needles pelted into his body. Sending him to the ground convulsing as the shocks slowly dissipated from his body.

Kushina tied the bottom of her jacket up and pulled her black tank top over her chest enough to cover her as she pushed herself up. She still coughed as she still could feel smoke in her lungs. She felt sick the stomach as she stood to her feet, shaking badly. She looked around, Raion-sensei had disposed of two ninjas and her team mates had killed her attacker. Somehow, she knew there was still another. A gleam in the shadows caught her eye but she couldn't track its movements.

As Tonko was taking a breather from his last attack he watched the enemy closely, looking for any signs of life or a trap. He didn't notice Kushina slip out of view as she pressed herself along the cart and stayed on guard. She had never let go of the kunai in hand, holding it like it was her life line. "There!" She thought to herself as she had caught his movements, she grabbed three ninja stars from her pack and threw them at the attacker in the foliage, devastated when she heard the three shrunken hit a tree. She kept searching for the presence but it seemed to be gone, it had completely disappeared.

Raion sensei returned and made sure his team was ok. He put one of his kunais back into his pouch. Tonko and Kyoti looked fine, one catching his breath, the other kicking a deflated bomb on the ground. Kushina wasn't with the team and he knew with her injury she wouldn't pose as much of a fight. The wolf stumbled out from behind the wagon, holding the kunai in one paw and her jacket with another. Still gasping for breath, she felt as though her throat had closed.

As she made her way towards the team she winced, suddenly unable to catch her breath, tripping over her own paws. Raion-sensei caught her on his back, covering her chest so she didn't have to hold her shirt. The bandages on her paws were burnt and began to unravel, exposing the cuts on her paws. Raion-sensei turned back to the front of the caravan, no villagers were hurt so he began walking. "We will stop for camp at dusk." He told the team as made sure to keep Kushina still.

The camp had been set up and Raion-sensei had taken Kushina aside to treat her wounds. She began to wake up, the slow steady pace her Sensei had calmed her down but she felt uncomfortable. "Put me down." She asked as she tried to get down herself. "I am bandaging that wound, a dead ninja isn't worth anything to Konoha." He argued not letting go of her legs as he came to a stop. "My chest is fine, it won't kill me." She growled, finally pushing herself off of his back and turning away.

Raion-sensei grabbed her arm and pulled her back, gently throwing her against the tree. He was determined to at least wrap the burn so the pain wasn't as bad. As he dug into his pack he looked back up at her and frowned. She was frozen in fear against the tree, her paws trembling. He kept up his facade of not noticing and tossed the supplies on the ground. "I bet Tonko killed Kyoti by now so I better go check on them." He said turning away and walking back to camp.

Kushina watched him leave before slinking down the tree and landing on the ground roughly. She reached out for the gauze, her paws still shaking as she grasped it. The kunai was still in her other paw, she was unable to let go of it sense she was attacked. She began to awkwardly wrap her paw, cutting the gauze with her kunai before tying it. She looked over to the camp and saw Tonko forcing himself not to slap Kyoti as he began to talk about bombs.

She peeled her jacket off, trying to ignore the ripping as the fabric had melted to her fur and skin. She tossed it aside and pulled off her tank top to fix her wound. She scrapped some green ointment out of a small brown jar ran felt instant relief as it cooled her burns. Her claws dug into the dirty as the ointment both soothed yet irritated her skin, begging her to claw at it.

When the pain had subsided she took a deep breath and cleared her throat, it was time to get to work. She used her small supply of chakara to form a crystal needle that had a long string tied on the end. She slowly sewed the burnt fabric on her tank top, she made up for the lack of fabric by creating some of crystal. It was itchy and rough, having the feeling of chainmail but it kept her covered.

She grabbed her jacket and tightened her grip as she held it close. It wasn't for her rank, but her late mothers. When she became a Jounin she mysteriously quit the ninja force and gave her jacket to her daughter. That day was the day her mother went missing as well. The material was burnt and she could never fix it. With a sigh she slipped it back on and did what buttons were left on the front.

Kushina took a moment to reminisce about home, she hadn't gone back to her home in so long, going from one mission to another. When she could stay in Konoha she had ended up staying with Raquel-sensei. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up. Her arms were awkwardly bandaged, her shirt looked like it was crafted by a blind man and her fur reeked of burnt hair.

She returned to the camp that they had set up, sitting next to Tonko and warming up by the fire. Her bandages slipped down as she reached her paws out to warm them, her clan mark showing through. She didn't notice it but Tonko did. He stopped himself from speaking up, he wanted to dig deeper and expose it. He knew it wasn't a coincidence but no ninja should be ashamed of their clan mark.

The ninjas settled on the ground in thin cots, the camp fire now melted down to coals, giving off a soft glow. The villagers simply laid down and fell asleep, no blankets or pillows covering them. Kushina seem to not get any sleep, her chest burning with every movement. The bandaged pulling at her fur didn't help with the discomfort. She watched the night sky, a single shooting star shining across the sky. She closed her eyes and made a wish, clenching her paws tightly as she grew determined. She turned over and pulled the blanker over her shoulder trying to get to sleep, trying to get ready to face the day.

Tonko laid in bed pondering the mark on Kushina's arm, He wanted to sleep, the whole idea of the puzzle was too much work. Yet he couldn't turn over and sleep, he wanted to know. Growling to himself he pulled the pillow over his head and forced himself to tune out Kyoti's snoring.

As dawn broke the team woke up before the villagers to start preparing their packs. They were all tired from the sleepless night but Raion-sensei had put them to work. Tonko cursed as he rolled up his cot, ears pinned and eyes able to kill. Once their packs were set up they were set to awaken the travelers. Yet as Kushina touched the little girl she screamed again, sitting straight up, eyes emotionless. Kushina herself jumped back, her heart racing as the girl stopped. "We are ready to go." She explained as she licked her lips and caught her breath. The young squirrel didn't answer her like before, not even taking a glance at her "attacker".

The rest of the villagers seem to wake up in sync, sending an eerie feeling through the Konoha ninja. They gathered their things and stood on the road waiting to move. The air was tense between the two villages. The wound on Kushina's chest made her slower as she walked so Raion-sensei made her walk in the front. Her eyes weren't damaged so she could easily keep watch.

The trip was going to be long...


	2. Burn it All

Burn it all

Angel, Silver, Charlotte and Zeke stood silently in a room that was tense with thick awkward air. The Hokage bridged her fingers together, leaning on her elbows on the desk and watching them. Just recently the two siblings had been transferred here and now they needed a mission. "Do any of you know the Land of Roots just outside Konoha?" she asked, shattering the dense cloud. Zeke acknowledged with a head nod, his dark blue and crisp orange highlights gently bobbing with his movement.

Debriefing was barely required as she barely knew the mission at hand. She didn't treat the new recruits as expendable but with the unknown circumstances she felt as if she was pushing a death sentence over their head. None the less she went through with the actions needed. "You shall have a week to examine the workings of the village. Be safe and cautious, we fear that sickness might spread here and Konoha needs no pandemic. "

As they started walking out of the gates of Konoha together, perfectly in sync and on time, Angel looked at his new team mates. Even though there was an obvious favorite of the group, he seemed to look to the side of that matter. Zeke, the slightly older male, seemed to be his main goal. He seemed the weakest of fighters compared to the fiery personality of the other two. Would he have to watch out for him more? No doubt he would help his sister but with her, attitude, she seemed capable enough. Silver, he seemed quite a fool but he was confident and something about him told Angel he would be fine. He knew the clans they all hailed from, he knew the family pasts. But did it really make a difference?

The walk seemed to exhaust him more than his team, almost half way and he was all ready to take a nice nap. The hot spring was still so far away but dusk had started to set and the team needed a rest. Without a word he flung his bag into the trees and watched it fly. The team watched but only heard it land on solid ground. "We shall camp this way." He motioned as he walked after his bag, picking it up from the spot and moving deeper into the woods. Silver turned to Zeke with a questionable look on his face but neither knew the answer and simply shrugged it off together.

Angel grabbed his cot off the top of his backpack, throwing it out into the grassy field that danced with the winding wind. "Silver has the first watch." He said simply, ignoring the disagreement of the soul. Zeke brought back firewood and a tiny bit of chakra from Charlotte's part made a fire that would last the night. Silver had become comfy in his nest of tree limbs that hid him in view of both the path and their camp.

As nightfall hit the gentle crackling of the fire cured the eerie sound of the forest. Charlottes shift came up quickly but she sat in her post almost ignoring the watch completely. She hated this transition to the new village and allowed it to get to her. Within seconds her best friend appeared in the trees beside her, the heat from his fur sending chills through her skin. "Inferno…" She said as she turned to look at her friend. "What is troubling you my dear?" He said soothingly as he gently rubbed his face across her shoulder, his tone sounding untrustworthy and corrupted but charming and soft.

"I don't like this new village…they all know who father is…" She growled. "There is only one solution really." Inferno commented sitting beside her in the tree branch, his tail hanging over the edge. "A change of government is clearly needed." Inferno slipped. Charlotte shrugged it off "I don't think that would change their minds." She sighed before the bushes rustling on the ground close to Zeke snapped her attention from Inferno. Charlotte was on the ground beside him in a heartbeat but before she could react a kunai flew past her and landed behind the branches.

Angel was sitting up in his cot, the look on his face was utter displeasure as he stared at Charlotte. She scoffed and waved off his look, digging through the bushes as she looked for the culprit. A tiny squirrel laid frozen as the kunai was stuck through its tail and deep in the ground. She pulled the kunai out and watched the squirrel scamper off leaving a small trail of blood. She had to use all her willpower to not chase after it. "Your shift is over, wake up Zeke." Angel said, breaking her from her temptation, before lying back down and pulling the covers over his shoulder.

Charlotte mumbled as she looked back up to her hiding spot only to watch Inferno as he seemed to disappear before her eyes like an ember burning out. She kicked Zeke in the back just hard enough to wake him up before slipping into her own cot. Zeke groaned as he sat up, his eyes droopy and groggy. He rolled out of his cot, leaning against the closets tree as he tried to wake himself up. It took him a few minutes to be able to shake himself up and climb the tree into the hiding spot. The sky was dark but birds started to chirp, it was easy to know that the sun was rising but it didn't help how tired he was. Leaning on his paw he decided to think about something to keep himself awake. He thought about how He was awake at the time the kunai was thrown past his head but to react would be too much work.

As the team rose together, all feeling groggy, they gathered for breakfast. Everybody seemed a bit more drained then usual, the forest seemingly sucking the energy from them. Angel had brought provisions but Charlotte had brought back some proper meat but only enough for her and Zeke to share. Members of the team watched each other over breakfast, Zeke and Charlotte sat on one side of the fire while Angel and Silver sat on the opposite, the obvious divide in the team was a noticeable weak point.

"Good morning Class, today we are going to learn honorifics and how to address other ninjas." Atalanta said as he walked over to the board, he seemed to speed through the writing, grinding the chalk against the board creating a small stream of chalk crumbs below. "Xipil-Sensei has come down from his class to explain the basics." Atalanta said handing his young class off to the older teacher. "Good morning everybody" Xipil paused until a majorty of the class responded. "Today I will teach you why we add nick names to people." Xipil said walking to the board and writing in a different color of chalk.

"Genin – Chunin – Jounin"

"As we all know you have built a class of genin together with your friends. This is what ninjas start out as, it is known that genin are just the starting point but are not to be underestimated. No Hokage ever lived without being a genin." Xipil encouraged, feeding his smile off the bright eyes of most of the children. "Once you pass your final exam you may take the chunin exam, if you pass the scary tests you become a chunin. A chunin can take on more dangerous missions, as well as start to choose what you will become, you can take several paths but that is up to you." Xipil tossed the chalk to Atalanta and quickly finished his first lesson. "Jounin is last, when you are a jounin, like me, you are able to take on a team of genin, or choose different paths. It is all up to you, you pick your life."

"When you call somebody by name often you will need to add something to that name, it is respectful and shows how mature you are, that is why you call me Sensei." Xipil said as he pointed towards himself. "When there are two people who like each other… Like Sammy-san and Blaze-san they can refer to each other as Sammy-chan and Blaze-kun, though these are often used for younger ones, it makes a cute pet name." Xipil mentioned with a cheeky smile as he pointed to the opposite side of the room where Sammy and Blaze stood in the spot light, both of their faces turning deeply red. "And as you refer to them as Sammy-Sensei and Blaze-Sensei, they refer to you as… Caramel-kun and Dawn-chan." Xipil said with a much nicer smile as he watched Sammy and Blaze sneak out of the room from the corner of his eyes. Xipil paused as a young sweet voice shot out from the middle of the classroom. "You will always be my Caramel-kun!" Keita said as she latched onto the younger male sitting beside her. Caramel smiled and scratched the back of his head before both realized Atlanta was looking at them, the look that quickly dismissed their actions. Both students twiddled their thumbs while hiding the blushing as the whole classroom giggled.

"All in all, honorifics are a very mature way to refer to people, using the proper ones proves how mature you are yourself." Xipil finished up. "But of course you could get in deep trouble if you use the wrong one. Like calling Atlanta-san something like…Atalanta-bo" Xipil said with a grin as Atlanta directed his piercing glaze to the other instructor, Xipil waved it off and kept speaking. "I am returning to my class but if you have any questions Atalanta-san is happy to answer them." Xipil finished, walking out of the class quickly before any questions could be asked.

"There is it, Land of Roots." Angel said as he reached a thinner part of the forest, ahead by an hours trip was a small village, smoke rising from the building in the middle and very few people walking around. Those who were walking around seemed lifeless. "Why are we here again?" Charlotte asked walking up beside him, Zeke close by her side. "We are here to investigate the sickness that overtook the village decades ago. So it doesn't spread to Konoha." Angel said, his eyes trained to examine the village. "Why now? Why not decades ago." Zeke asked, as Silver tightened his elbow pads and gloves that were shook loose as he slept on them. "Recently some people have been popping up in the hospitals losing their senses and we want to find a way to reverse it." Angel answered as he took the first step. "We will start with the feudal lord then-"

"Let's go!" Silver shouted, interrupting Angel as he raced toward the village. All three team members sighed tiredly, the go-to attitude was too much first thing in the morning. They walked towards the village, conserving their exhausted chakra and low energy. Silver seemed too eager to get the task done, though they weren't opposed to get out of this creepy village before they even got in. "Where does he get that energy from?" Charlotte asked her brother who simply shrugged.

Many people seemed like zombies, the ones that had an ounce of personality left seemed to be shy and uncoordinated. As they walked through the gates a single golden dog seemed to greet them. "Um, excuse me?" The golden dog reached out as Charlotte and Zeke bypassed her without a second thought. Angel stopped to see what she wanted but huffed when he noticed Silver was off in the town exploring the shops a bit, hoping to bring back a souvenir.

Left alone with this young girl he turned on a pleasant smile "How can I help you?"Angel asked as he looked down at the small timid wolf. "You're from Konoha right?" She asked, looking down at her twiddling thumbs and scratching at the ground with her bare feet. The dog was in nothing but rags that simply didn't cover her like they should."Yes, why do you ask?" He said, his curiosity sparked. "I don't ask favors very often unless they are really important! Please save my brother, they took him too early!" She exclaimed reaching out blindly and grabbing his shirt.

Angel was slightly taken aback as she brought her face up and revealed her glassy eyes. He realized this girl was blind but her bland eyes still had a dusty pigment of red left in them, yet as she spoke they seemed to spark and come alive with hope. "What do you mean?" He said a bit stunned that she grabbed his shirt. "The ritual, he was just acting like a grown up, he's too young!" She said again, tears welling up in her dead eyes. "He told the guards that he was 16 but he only just turned 10. They believed him!" She said as her grip tightened on Angel's shirt. Charlotte and Zeke both tuned an ear to listen, this small beggar girl seemed uninteresting but she wasn't asking for money. She seemed more upset then one should be.

"I'm sure they would release him soon, they took him to jail right..?" Angel asked unsure of what she was talking about. "No! He is too young to go blind so early! Please you must save him!" She said shaking her head and tearing her hands away, releasing his shirt. All ears were suddenly alert, Silver had quieted down and come back and Zeke the siblings rejoined the conversation.

"Tell us more about this ritual then." Angel said as he set to work investigating. "It doesn't matter! Go to the palace, it's in the middle of the village. He will be in the basement past the throne room, don't let the feudal lord see you either!" she said pointing to the center of the village were smoke was rising from the roof. "At least give us a name?" Angel said trying to get any information. "My brother's name is Cache, My names Golden, Now go!" She said trying to express how dire the situation was.

Angel looked to his team and nodded, within seconds they were running through the town in arrow formation. No longer caring for the villagers attitude or being spotted. It didn't take long for them to reach the temple in the center of the village. Angel wanted to save the boy, Charlotte hoped this "easy" task would be enough for them to go back to bed. Sadly both were quickly faced with problems as they reached the large palace that held this boy.

Guards were covering the sides of the temples stairs, each one holding perfectly still. Their eyes were glassy, grey and bland, all wearing the same outfit and holding a spear beside them. The team stopped just short of the stairs, not alerting any of the guards yet. Silver took the first step but a guard instantly swung his weapon towards the intruder just missing Silver's nose as he craned his head back to look down the spears handle. "Who goes there!" the orange cat spoke with a small lisp. Angel stepped forward setting the guard on the other side of the stairway off."We have come to see the feudal Lord. We bring business from Konoha." He announced in a booming voice. "Nobody sees the Lord, he has important matters to attend too." The guard said not removing his spear from Silver's neck. "I assure you this is an important matter." Angel debated, keeping his voice clear of anger. "Nobody sees the Lord."

Silver took a step back and the guard returned to his position, the team looked at each other, then turned their looks to Angel. "…Fine." He said as he gave it a shot. He put his paws together and formed the hand sign. "Ninja art, Jinton Jiton!" He pointed to the ground and suddenly he became weightless, hovering a few inches above the ground. He tested the theory by approaching the guards slowly but nobody seemed to even notice. Without wasting time or chakra he grabbed Silver, grunting as he carried the wolf that must have weighed a couple hundred pounds. Fast as he could bear he floated across the guards and up the stairs. He touched down in a specific flower box at the top, landing in the soft soil and muffling his footsteps.

He went to turn back to grab Charlotte but he was slightly out of breath and drained a lot of chakra since he had to provide extra to carry Silver. But he noticed that Zeke and Charlotte had already devised a plan and sent it into action. Both of them jumped as high into the air as they couldand Zeke formed a seal and took a deep breath. With Charlotte holding onto his neck he blew a strong breeze at the ground disturbing the dust and sending them higher into the air. The guards mimicked their first movements but instead of aiming at Zeke, they pointed at the place Zeke had taken off. Following his sensei's idea he landed in a flower box on the opposite side of the stairs.

All four cautiously stepped off the soft soil, watching the guards suspiciously. Charlotte made extra notion to grip the flower she was standing on between her pads, ripping it out of the soft soil and onto the hard ground. Once they were in the palace, the guards seemed to disappear from sight, at least they were very spread thinly. It seemed the Lord had a little too much trust in his outer guards.

"How come they couldn't see us?" Silver asked, his unusually face stone cold serious. "They are blind and deaf." Angel said, keeping his eyes trained ahead. "They could sense our chakras and weight." Angel guessed, he was sure they were blind but there was no other way to sense them. "I don't see why we could have acted as regular informers, the king would have let us right in if we had come back later." Charlotte mentioned, not caring about how they saw or heard. "Because we would never have gotten the right information, we want to keep it a secret that that Konoha is investigating a neighboring country." Angel answered before holding a hand for them to hush up.

Two guards slowly walked in through the hall way, their steps aggressively hitting the ground to make a louder slap that could echo through the palace halls. The team quickly took to the roof, their chakras bonding their feet to the tile like glue. Everybody was deathly silent as one guard stopped and tapped on the glossy tile floor with his spear. He seemed to be checking for something but was satisfied in a matter of moments. The two guards were back in a small line, slightly out of sync with each other making a consistent patter of sounds. The four dropped down and rush back through the magnificent halls, taking it slightly more cautious but rushed all the same.

For a town so poor and deprived the castle was not sold short. Every pillar carved from jade, every tile polished until your reflection danced underneath you. The roof was arched and paintings covered the walls. It was brightly lit but windows were rare and spread apart sparingly. The throne room approached quickly but nobody diverted their course when they realized it was empty, the sound of their sandals pushing them off the ground gently echoing through the halls. The throne room seemed hollow. The throne itself empty but obviously well used. It's gold frame encasing once puffy red cushions that now sagged in from a heavy weight upon them. Three small stairs raised the platform with the throne high enough to be above those standing in front but not high enough to divert much attention or make it hard to traverse.

Charlotte made sure to stand in between Zeke and Angel, she felt some emotion about their team leader but couldn't place her finger on it. She, of course, was more interested in what Zeke was doing then the rest of the team then he could ever be. She hadn't been too happy that she and Zeke needed a partner, the idea was stupid. They alone could bring down this entire village if they wanted to.

Charlotte was snapped out of her thoughts when Angel cut her off, she just about collided into him but she caught herself last minute. She quickly turned as well but she noticed that the hallways were getting darker and darker. All four froze when they heard voices, their feet glued to the ground and their ears all tuned in to listen closely. "This one looks a bit younggg" an annoying voice spoke out. "He claimed he was of age sir." A very stern and to the point voice answered. "Very welllll. Go onnn." The voice spoke out again, his voice cracking as he dragged his syllables around uselessly.

"That's the feudal lord's voice, I'd recognize that… tone, anywhere." Angel noted. "Must be Golden's brother they are talking about as well." He added hushing his voice. The three team mates looked at each other and nodded before returning their attention to Angel. Angel held up two fingers and pointed at the opposite end of the hall way, his arm held close to his side to muffle the scratching of fabric. He pointed to Silver and motioned to himself and the team was set. Angel peeked his nose around the corner to look and behold a large dark room that held a miniature jungle in the middle of the floor. Various plant life that he had never seen before, the vines had their own life as they slithered around the guard, waiting to attack.

A young grey wolf with a bright clash of red across his face like a scar was struggling in the arms of a sandy feline guard. A hippopotamus like raccoon laid spread out in a chair much like the throne pervious to this room. This one was a good ways away from the forest threat, its size increased so one could lie down comfortably. The young canine with a red gem on its shoulder curled his lips and growled, ready to bite the guard the second it got the chance.

Angel's thoughts flew through his head at a blinding pace. If he rushed out to protect the pup the feudal lord would see them but if he stood by and waited this kid was in clear danger. He curled his lip in frustration and tried to think harder as the guard moved towards the tiny jungle that slithered and crawled, reaching out towards the boy.

"Go!" He shouted turning the corner sharply with ease, he tossed kunais in the direction of the guard holding the boy causing his armor to be rung and arm cut. The raccoon looked over slowly with a bored glance. Silver was close behind him, going for the young boy. Charlotte and Zeke moved as one from the opposite side of the room, matching the three guards coming into the room with a whirlwind of sharp chakra infused air sending them flying back.

The raccoon seemed unimpressed by it all as he rested his cheek on his knuckles and hummed. A vine reached out toward the boy but the guard was oblivious, the boy struggled even more but was slightly put at ease when a kunai from the fox girl landed on the head of the vine pinning it to a bush branch. Charlotte was satisfied that Angel had the boy covered and decided to get one of the guards to become her new toy. She chased after one dusty colored guard and when confronted by his fists, she easily dodged the random punches. Exept one well aimed blow that was delivered to her stomach knocking the air out of her but only throwing gas into the fighting fire she was building up.

With a hearty growl Charlotte grabbed the fist from her stomach and twisted it sharply bringing the guard to spin in agony. With his back to her she kicked him to the ground and held his paw in a twisted position for leverage. He tried to kick at her with his leg but she retaliates by dodging. She cart wheeled over his head, and landed in front of him, looking into the dull lifeless eyes before delivering a well placed kick, feeling a slight crack as her shin connected with the guards head.

Zeke watched as his sister took out a guard with ease. He was slightly impressed by his flexibility but his eyes were more trained towards the feudal lord, not saying a word as the battle before him happened, wasn't he furious? At least surprised. It wasn't right that he just sat their barely awake, waiting for it to be over. No more guards filed in, and the guards they had to deal with didn't put up much of a fight, the boy was quickly freed and was being protected by Silver, their fur colors almost being identical.

"What were you going to do to this boy?" Angel asked the lazy raccoon that had called for some food. "It's a tradition that'd been passed on for years, to keep the village… in check." The feudal lord said, his voice losing the annoying drag as he stuffed it with food. "You are taking away these innocents senses!" Angel barked, noticing the heavy paw steps approaching the room, a small army was close at hand. "Oh pleaseeee, they learn soon enough how to see, sure the younger ones have difficulty but they leaaarrrn. All creatures mussst adapt eehhh." The raccoon finished, dismissing the terrified vixen with an empty platter. Angel didn't have time to get angry, he turned and called the group to attention. Silver was quickly beside him, the boy, though half his size, matching his speed. Charlotte dropped the guard she was beating and joined beside Zeke who was bringing up the rear to watch the pup.

A line of five guards funneled into the room blocking the only known way out. Angel jumped into the air and soared over the line of guards that was blocking the path. Silver concentrated on his chakra and released the boys ragged shirt that he had been pulling on. His fur spiked out and shone with the reflection of light, he bowled into the guard's line, their old spears bounced off his rough fur as he delivered hardy punches to both guards knocking them aside before rejoining with the hostage no longer holding his shirt. Charlotte copied Angels movement but added some flare with a somersault in the air. She landed behind the guards and kicked on in the head before dodging the others spear.

Zeke followed up her movements by delivering a few well placed punches, his fists doubled in speed as he coated them in chakra laced air. His punches weren't wasted as exactly three were used to knock out each guard he encountered. As he watched Charlottes back and she watched his, the two worked as well as an oiled machine. No guard seemed too insistent on getting the boy back so Silver had an easy route between Angel and the siblings.

By the time they reached the exit it seemed all the guards were taken out further back in the palace. The exit was easy as they dived into the alleys, the few guards that were left chasing after them were lost as to where they went. "So we hear your sister was looking for you?" Silver said to the boy with a laugh only to be met by a death glare. "She shouldn't have said anything." He barked viciously, "I was fine." He pouted, "Didn't look that way to me." Charlotte scoffed as she had expected a thank you. "Whatever, I can handle myself." Cache argued while crossing his arms. "Your sister is very worried about you you know, she was really upset." Angel reasoned.

Cache scratched at the ground with his bare pads uncomfortably as he thought about his dear sister. "Can you take me home?" He asked, putting his small defeat behind him. "Sure thing." Angel said with a smirk, "We will getcha there in a heartbeat, you can't beat the speed of us awesome powerful ninjaaaahss!" Silver added adding a kick and a punch into his equation .

Angel and the others walked to Caches home cautiously, their senses on high alert. They soon took in the real look of the town. Nobody wore sandals, kids were locked in doors and anybody that seemed like an adult had lost all emotion. Once they reached the door, that Angel met Golden at earlier, Cache knocked and patiently waited. "Who... is it?" A tiny calm but clearly upset voice called out as the door cracked open exposing the blind eye of a young wolf. "You know who it is." Cache said in a funny voice making Golden instantly brighten up. She tackled the first form she connected with making the whole group stifle a laugh as Silver was thrown to the ground.

"Don't ever do that to me again Cache! You scared me half to death and –" Golden soil stopped when she realized Silver's scent. "Uh sis, wrong wolf." Her brother Cache added to her embarrassment. Her cheeks matched the same color as her shoulder gems as her ears pinned back and she struggled to get off Silver. "So sorry about that I am not quite used to my blindness yet." She said before Cache met her in a hug and this time she knew it was him.

"Well our job here is done, I think it'd be best to get going. The Hokage will probably want to hear of this." Angel said as he turned to walk away. "Wait please stay! We have rooms available and it is the least I can do to repay you for bringing him home safely." Golden said tightening the hug with her brother for a second longer then releasing him. "Well, it is almost night and I don't mind a good bed." He said with a nod of his head. With a smile as Golden opened the door for them. "Alright!" Silver celebrated as he ducked in first. The other three waited for Golden and Cache to walk in first before entering the home themselves. Angel took one last look outside for any signs of danger before closing the door and following the line into the kitchen.

"Lovely home." Zeke said as they all sat down at the table, trying to make the awkward silence a little less awkward. "Thanks, I have no clue what it looks like, I forgot everything except the layout." Golden laughed as Cache set some dinnerware for the guests. "I hope your okay with just rice, we haven't got much right now." Golden said with a small tired sigh. "Rice is fine." Angel said before any of his team could say a word. "So what were they going to do to him?" Charlotte spoke out surprising everybody but Golden.

"The rite of passage, every single villager has to go through is really just a way to control you. For some reason it didn't take full effect on me but I doubt Cache will be as lucky. The jungle you probably saw is much deeper than it looks. Inside are thousands of parasites, unable to leave the jungle for that is their only living source, except for bodies. When one is thrown into the pit the bugs crawl into the corners of your eyes and…" Golden's paws were shaking as she held her bowl of rice. "And um, they take away your senses." She choked out, trying to keep strong so not to break down in front of Cache. The grey wolf played with his bowl of rice as he felt bad he put her in that position.

"But why?" Angel asked his voice serious but calm. "There is not a person easier to control then somebody who depends on you." Cache piped up before quickly returning to his food. "The parasites attack your spine and brain stem, senses like seeing and hearing are taken away and replaced with acute awareness of others. I can sense that there are people at the table, five to be exact, not counting myself." Golden said putting her food down to hide her shaking hands. "But I'm not good enough to know who is who. With practice I might be able to. It was odd that for some reason my hearing was not taken away like normal." Golden finished before quickly picking up her bowl again and shoving a pile of rice in her mouth , chewing silently.

Diner was finished and cleaned up and each went to their respected beds, the rooms were small so only Angel had to share with Silver. Charlotte and Zeke sharing the room beside theirs.

When morning broke the team said their goodbyes and left to get home to Konoha. No doubt The feudal lord will announce Konoha's "invasion" and Angel wanted the Hokage to hear it from them first. Though none said it, the trip back through the forest was daunting and unwelcome but the team continued on.


End file.
